52 pounds later: Shaun the shaggy sheep finally shorn smooth

Sydney • Shaun the shaggy Australian sheep has at last been shorn smooth. But the woolly wanderer wasn't the wooliest of them all.

The sheep apparently had been hiding for years on a farm on the island state of Tasmania and had never been shorn. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday that Shaun lost 23.5 kilograms (52 pounds) of wool at his first haircut.

Owners Peter and Netty Hazel had hoped Shaun would beat a record held by a now-deceased New Zealand sheep named Shrek.

Shrek rose to fame in 2004 after he was found hiding in caves on his farm, having evaded the annual shearing roundups for seven years. He had 27 kilograms (60 pounds) of wool shorn off his body.